Necessary
by VampCat
Summary: During Kurda's sword practices, something unexpected happens... FEMMESLASH! TrissKurda
1. Part I

**A/N**: I've been kinda out of the Redwall fandom for awhile, but in answer to a request from Mike, I decided to write this story, and I definitely enjoyed it. Although this fic is meant to be a one-shot, I may do more with this pairing if my muse feels up to it.  
  
**Disclaimer**: Do you honestly think Brian Jacques would give e permission to do this with his characters?

* * *

There was something about Kurda that Triss just couldn't comprehend. The princess wasn't like her brother or her father or any other vermin Triss had known, and the squirrelmaid wondered sometimes what made the Pure Ferret stand out. Triss thought about it more times than was necessary.  
  
Then Kurda demanded that Triss (and occasionally old Drufo) assist her in her sword practices. And so the squirrelmaid hoped that she'd be able to figure out what about Kurda was so peculiar. She hoped more than necessary. . .

-0-0-0-

The door to Kurda's personal weapons chamber opened as the cream-white ferret princess strode in. The squirrel slave, Triss, was already there. She had set up the herrings earlier that Kurda was going to use for practice and was nearly finished oiling the blade of a small straight sword. Practically dropping it, Triss stopped and placed it hastily on the rack with its fellows.  
  
Looking up at the dozen dead herrings tied by their tails to the ceiling, Kurda nodded in satisfaction and pulled on her long-sleeved, ecru linen glove. "Give me de light saber," the princess commanded. "I try dat von first."  
  
Hurrying over, Triss handed her the sword and dodged swiftly to the side. Stepping into a back stance, Kurda held the blade aloft. Twirling gracefully, the princess slashed through each herring, decapitating them at the gills. But on the last fish, Kurda threw her weapon so that it spun end over end straight up, efficiently splitting the single herring down the middle. As the sword descended, Kurda caught it easily in her right paw.  
  
Rushing to clear away the fish heads, Triss couldn't help but grudgingly admire the ferret's blade control. Although her strength and experience were highly questionable, Kurda's aim and reflexes were undeniable.  
  
"Now," the Pure Ferret called, "I'll use der straight sword, small size."  
  
Dashing rapidly to obey, Triss gripped the straight sword and gave it to Kurda. But as the princess swung the blade, something extraordinary happened: the sword seemed to _jump_ right out of Kurda's gripped. As it fell, the sharpened edge sliced unforgivingly into its owner before hitting the flagstone floor with a resounding clang. Hissing in pain and clutching her arm, Kurda turned her ire immediately on Triss.  
  
"There vas oil on der handle!" Kurda accused vehemently.  
  
Triss tried not to flinch at the ferret's tone and the prospective beating she would surely get for making — according to Kurda — such a careless error. "Please, Princess," the squirrelmaid said, barely managing to keep her voice steady, "please let me get the healing supplies and bandage your arm."  
  
The Pure Ferret nodded sharply in agreement, pink eyes still flickering with fury. Quickly, Triss scrambled over to the sword rack and grabbed a leather bag of medical items. Returning to Kurda, both maids sat on the floor to make it easier for Triss to bandage Kurda's cut. Nervously — and with her head bowed — the squirrelmaid scooted closer until she was practically sitting in the ferretmaid's lap.  
  
Gently, Triss took hold of Kurda's gloved right paw. The expertly sharpened sword had gone easily through the glove's pale gray fabric, and the linen close to the cut was already stained in crimson blood. Leaning even closer so that her head was all but resting on the Pure Ferret's shoulder, Triss began to very slowly roll the glove off Kurda's arm. The squirrelmaid felt the princess tense as the cloth was pulled away — sticky with blood — from the edges of the cut. Dropping the ruined glove off to the side, Triss inspected the injury noting that although it was shallow, it had occurred in a particularly painful spot.  
  
Reaching into the medical bag, the squirrelmaid withdrew the appropriate salve and began to liberally smear it on. Once or twice, she swore she'd felt the ferret tremble, and Triss could sense a shiver of her own as well.  
  
When she was certain that the cut was covered, Triss quickly wiped her paws on her tunic and selected a length of plain, white linen from the bag that would be used as a bandage. Taking her time, the squirrel began wrapping the bandage around Kurda's forearm, starting at her wrist and working up. Then — when she finished — she tied a small knot at the end. Almost unconsciously, Triss started massaging the area around the cut. The muscles were undoubtedly sore there, and Triss knew that rubbing them would help ease the pain. She remembered when Drufo had done this for her after she'd sprained her wrist two seasons ago.  
  
Now the squirrelmaid could definitely see that the Pure Ferret was trembling, and upon hearing Kurda's soft gasp, Triss finally looked up. Coral eyes met deep brown ones, and neither creature said a word. Barely a few inches separated them, but the squirrelmaid didn't seem bothered and Kurda's soft breath felt nice as it mingled with hers in the still air, in fact, it was _very_ nice even though they both reeked of herring and Triss knew her mind had gone completely into random mode, but that was okay 'cause Kurda was leaning closer and Triss could just barely feel the ferret princess's lips brush against hers and. . .  
  
The door whipped open as Kurda's older brother Bladd strode in without so much as a knock. Jumping back as though scalded, the ferret princess stepped away from Triss leaving the squirrelmaid kneeling by herself on the stone floor.  
  
"Vot," Kurda's voice wavered slightly, and she cleared her throat before continuing, "vot do you vant?"  
  
Bladd's eyes bugged slightly out of their sockets at the sound of his sibling's bland tone. Clearly, he had been expecting a biting remark or a rude taunt. From his younger sister, the ferret prince always got both in abundance.  
  
"De King vant to see you," Bladd replied, actual polite for a change. "He say it important."  
  
Wordlessly, the Pure Ferret princess nodded, and started toward the door.  
  
"Clean up der herrinks," Kurda ordered on her way out, but before she left the room, she glanced back at Triss, her gaze lingering longer than necessary.  
  
END 


	2. Part II

A/N: OMG, an update. gasp Anyways, I dusted this off FINALLY, and here is the next part. There will be one more, and then a longer sequel. However, I have sucky obligations like school, and Redwall isn't exactly my most active fandom so this sequel could take awhile, but the next chapter to this fic should be up fairly soon...

A/N2: Most of Triss's dialogue was taken from the book.

Disclaimer: Not mine. Dammit.

* * *

(_Time Period: End of the book..._)

"Eulaliiiiiaaaaaa! We're coming! Eulaliiiiiaaaaaa!"

Kurda's head snapped up at the shouts. To her horror, a badger, a shrew, and...that squirrelmaid came bounding hurriedly into view! "Shtop dem, quick!" she ordered her rat guards, Riggan and Vorto.

But before she could do or say more, that _damn_ rabbit grabbed her from behind. Even as she struggled, Kurda's two remaining guards were slain. Then Triss's blade came down, severing the rope that bound Scarum. The two of them went crashing down, and Kurda's sabre was knocked away. Scrambling away, she reached for it and was shocked to see a footpaw resting on the weapon's flat side, stopping her from taking it up again.

"Remember me, Princess?" Triss asked unnecessarily, glaring down at the ferret who had never forgotten her. "I used to throw turnips up for you to practice on. I'm the escaped slave who stole your ship. Well, you've chased me across the great seas, and now you've found me. Pick up that sabre, stand and face me!"

"Vot?!" Kurda said in outrage. "You have no right speak like dis to me!"

The ferret princess jumped backwards though as Triss waved Martin's sword warningly. Being left with no other choice, Kurda retrieved her blade, slipping easily into a fighting stance. And yet she still felt a twinge of fear shoot through her as the squirrelmaid circled slowly, sword whistling through the air.

"My father was Rocc Arrem, the greatest swordmaster in all the Northlands," Triss informed her opponent. "He was slain by your family, with arrows, because they feared him. You slew his friend Drufo who was old and weak. I watched you kill him. So now, let's see what murdering one old creature and chopping lots of turnips has taught you, coward!"

Kurda's pink eyes narrowed, and she quickly struck out at the squirrelmaid's head as she saw her lower her weapon. But lightning fast, Triss struck back, and the ferret princess was horrified to find herself unarmed once more.

"Pick it up and try again, turnip chopper!" the warrior squirrel commanded.

Her paws actually shaking now, Kurda complied without argument only to have the sabre sent spinning from her grasp again. Really beginning to panic, she dove forward to grab it, and whirled around snarling as Triss slapped the flat of her sword against Kurda's rump.

"I never told you to pick it up again," Triss said coolly. "Tell me, how does it feel being treated like a slave?"

Kurda hissed furiously at this indignity. "How _dare_ you treat me so!"

Even more humiliating though was the way Triss merely turned her back with a huff, all but _ignoring_ the ferret princess! Fury surging through her, Kurda snatched up the sabre in both paws and, yelling, swung it at Triss's unprotected back. Completely blinded by anger, the ferretmaid did not stand a chance as Triss—calm as ever—whirled to the side before swinging Martin's sword back to strike the heavy sabre as hard as she could.

With an echoing clang, the strong blade snapped in two. Kurda stared dumbstruck at her broken blade before common sense and self-preservation galvanized her to action. Although the ferretmaid thought running from battle was a weak decision, she still turned tail and ran, not wishing to see her life grind to such an abrupt halt.

However, even her flight seemed useless as she heard Triss speeding along behind her calling out, "You can run, coward, but there's no chance you'll get away!"

It was Kurda's glance back that became her undoing. Failing to see a tree root, she tripped over it and went sprawling, the broken sword flying from her grasp. Triss's own hurried dash ground to a halt when she saw her enemy lying on the ground. Tilting her head, the squirrelmaid could hear Sagax and Scarum and Log a Log calling her name but unsure of where she'd gone.

"I told you wouldn't get away." Triss's voice sounded cold, even to her ears.

"You von't," the fallen ferret princess said, still a hint of bravado—if not bravery—in her voice.

The squirrel warrior did not even dignify the words with an answer. Instead she raised the sword to strike, advancing steadily. Seeing this, her grounded opponent scrambled backward across the forest floor, coral eyes wide.

"You von't...Trisscar" Kurda said again, but this time her voice came out as an uncertain whisper.

Triss swung the sword, aiming at the Pure Ferret's throat... She would do what was necessary.

tbc...

A/N3: So what's the verdict? Should Kurda get what she deserves or not?


End file.
